Conveyor device for mining operations and associated casing support system

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a device provided for conveyor means in mining and serving for the butting or forward pressing devices for the conveyors and/or of units of the roof support casing system, said device having several bearings to which the units of the roof support systems respectively are connected at predetermined distances. These bearings on the one hand maintain somewhat the spacing of the units of the casing system and, on the other hand, they provide a sufficiently fixed connection with the conveyor, to which the units respectively may move up.

0 United States Patent [72] Inventor Max Kuhn [56] References Cited [21] A l N gz'lg' UNITED STATES PATENTS pp o.

[22] Filed July 22.1969 3,504,944 4/1970 H012 198/126 X [45] Patented July 13, 1971 Primary Examiner-Edward A. Sroka [73] Assignee Klockner-Werke AG Attorney-Malcolm W. Fraser Duisburg, Germany [54] CONVEYOR DEVICE FOR MINING OPERATIONS AND ASSOCIATED CASING SUPPORT SYSTEM ABSTRACT: The invention relates to a device provided for conveyor means in mining and serving for the butting or forward pressing devices for the conveyors and/or of units of the roof support casing system, said device having several bearings to which the units of the roof support systems respectively are connected at predetermined distances. These bearings on the one hand maintain somewhat the spacing of the units of the casing system and, on the other hand, they provide a sufficiently fixed connection with the conveyor, to

which the units respectively may move up.

CONVEYOR DEVICE FOR MINING OPERATIONS AND ASSOCIATED CASING SUPPORT SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known to construct the bearings somewhat in form of semi or fully universaljoints and to fix them on the rear side of the conveyor. The conveyor performs upon pressing forward, longitudinal movements which are carried out in one direction. With this prerequisite, the bearings forming the butting points of the devices or units, respectively, shift with the conveyor. This is undesirable, because in this way, additional work is occasioned.

It may in the individual case be a question of correcting the position of the bearing on the conveyor, or of enclosing the devices and units. There are, however, also construction units, which automatically follow their shifting butting point on the conveyor. Then there results, however, frequently the necessity of disassembling units on one end of the prop at spacings, and on the other end in installing them again. Only if the prop is at right angles to the line, the butting points permit of moving parallel to the line in the prop. This prop position is, however, frequently on account of technical disassembling reasons undesirable or actually impossible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The problem serving as basis for the invention is to construct the device necessary for the purpose mentioned at the beginning, so that the bearings upon advance of the conveyor may maintain the previously given spacings-however, may at parallel distance move independently of the roof support prop position.

In accordance with the invention, this problem is in the main solved in this way, that the bearings are connected to the conveyor, are movable in a longitudinal direction and are con nected with one another by means of a link chain.

The slidability longitudinally of the bearings with respect to the conveyor makes possible the equalization of the move ments in longitudinal direction of the conveyor, while the bearings maintain the spacing previously given them. The device offers inversely the possibility of altering the relative position of the roof support devices or units respectively, to the conveyor, at will, in that the bearings are moved with the spacing holders with respect to the conveyor. The device has furthermore the advantage that it does not prevent a lengthening or a shortening, respectively, of the conveyor.

For the fastening of the bearings to the conveyor, a guide groove is disposed on its rear side, with one or several guide slots directed rearwardly. In this guide groove the bearings may move with their spacing holders. Bearings and spacing holders form furthermore suitably a spatially flexible chain.

The chain consisting of the bearings and spacing holders may be connected with its two ends with the conveyor by means ofa hydraulic thrust piston drive The spacing holders, furthermore, need not be rigid in both controllable directions. Flexible drawing means, such a cords and chains, are also adapted to this purpose.

The guide groove may consist of U-profiles, whose leg ends converge and between them provide a guide slot, whereby the bearings consisting of tongues project through the slot, said tongues being connected with bodies which are supported by a chain.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I shows in plan view and in partially broken away showing, a device according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows in top view the bearings and spacing holders in the groove coordinated with them, and

FIG. 3 shows a section along line Ill-Ill of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The device according to the invention is shown in FIG. I in an example ofa long-wall coal face 1 which is mined mechanically. Along the face I lies accordingly the trough of a doublechain scraper conveyor 2, whose drive is shown at 3.

The casing or roof support system consists of prop units A, B, C, D. The conveyor is advanced by means of an hydraulic thrust piston drive 4, whose cylinder 5 is supported between and connected to adjacent prop units C and D and whose piston rod 6 acts on the conveyor 2.

Each prop unit A to D of the casing system consists of two frames. For each frame a bearing 8 is provided to which the respective frames may be connected through a cable 9. Also the piston rod 6 has a bearing 10. The bearings 8 and 10 are connected to the conveyor 2 at predetermined distances from each other.

Each bearing consists of a tongue 11 with a bore 12, through which a connecting bolt may extend. The tongue 11 is fixedly connected with a body 13 and this construction holds true also for the bearing It).

The bearings 8 and III are fixed to be movable longitudinally of the conveyor 2, and for this purpose are connected with each other by means ofa link chain 14.

In the embodiment shown by way of example in FIGS. 2 and 3, the chain links are made fast to the two ends of the body 13. The chain 14 lies in a guide groove g, fixedly disposed to the rear side of the conveyor 2.

The guide groove g is formed by U-profile sections 16, whose length corresponds somewhat to that of the conveyor 2. The U-proflle has legs 17, whose ends 18 converge and leave free a slot 19, through which the tongues 11 of the bearings may extend rearwardly as apparent from FIG. 3.

The spatially flexible chain 14 consisting of the bearings and links is connected at its ends to be seen in FIG. 1 with the conveyor by means of a hydraulic thrust piston drive 20, in which its cylinder 21 is fixed to the drive 3 and the end of the piston rod 22 is fastened to the end of the chain.

If the conveyor migrates or shifts, then through corresponding impact of the thrust piston drive 20, the described spatially flexible chain will be moved relatively to the conveyor in its longitudinal direction. In this way, the impact points afforded by the bearings 8 and 10 may be corrected.

If the pit prop units A, B and C are rigidly connected to the rear face of the conveyor 2, serious trouble may arise due to conditions at the working face and also because of the great weight of the prop units. However, by providing a flexible chain working connection between the prop units and the conveyor, and enabling the bearings for the chain to shift along the conveyor, this problem is overcome. It is now possible to advance the bearing chain 14 by a ram device 20 contrary to the traveling direction of the conveyor 2, thereby compensating for the traveling movement of the conveyor.

What I claim is:

I. Conveyor device for mining operations and associated casing support system comprising longitudinally extending conveyor means, casing support units arranged along side of said conveyor means, a plurality of bearing members on said conveyor means and facing said casing support units, a flexible connection between said bearing members, a mounting for said bearing members affording shifting movement thereof generally parallel to said conveyor means, and means providing connections between said bearing members and said casing support units.

2. The organization as claimed in claim I, in which said mounting comprises an elongate guide in which said bearing members are slidably mounted, and rearwardly facing slot means through which portions of said bearing members extend.

3. The organization as claimed in claim 1, in which said flexible connection comprises a link chain.

4. The organization as claimed in claim 3, comprising a fluid piston drive to which said link chain is operatively connected.

guide comprises a U-profile, the leg ends of which converge to provide an elongate guide slot, and each bearing member comprises a tongue projecting through said slot, and a body slidable in said guide and to which said tongue is connected. 4 

1. Conveyor device for mining operations and associated casing support system comprising longitudinally extending conveyor means, casing support units arranged along side of said conveyor means, a plurality of bearing members on said conveyor means and facing said casing support units, a flexible connection between said bearing members, a mounting for said bearing members affording shifting movement thereof generally parallel to said conveyor mEans, and means providing connections between said bearing members and said casing support units.
 2. The organization as claimed in claim 1, in which said mounting comprises an elongate guide in which said bearing members are slidably mounted, and rearwardly facing slot means through which portions of said bearing members extend.
 3. The organization as claimed in claim 1, in which said flexible connection comprises a link chain.
 4. The organization as claimed in claim 3, comprising a fluid piston drive to which said link chain is operatively connected.
 5. The organization as claimed in claim 1, comprising hydraulically operated ram means interposed between certain of said casing support units and certain of said bearing members for advancing said conveyor means.
 6. The organization as claimed in claim 2, in which said guide comprises a U-profile, the leg ends of which converge to provide an elongate guide slot, and each bearing member comprises a tongue projecting through said slot, and a body slidable in said guide and to which said tongue is connected. 